That's not to say the book won't be read or talked about. Bin Laden's Legacy is a remarkable and laudable work. Gartenstein-Ross has created both a road map and a score card for the 10 years since the 9/11 attacks redefined America's sense of security. In a narrative that somehow manages to be both concise and comprehensive, the author lays out the multiple battlefields and competing strategies of both al Qaeda and the United States.
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My Comment: It is hard to refute J.M. Berger's analysis. The U.S. is spending itself to bankruptcy, and it's strategy to confront and defeat Al Qaeda the movement has still not been found.

A Chinese warship confronted an Indian navy vessel shortly after it left Vietnamese waters in late July in the first such reported encounter between the two countries’ navies in the South China Sea.

The unidentified Chinese warship demanded that India’s INS Airavat, an amphibious assault vessel, identify itself and explain its presence in international waters shortly after it completed a scheduled port call in Vietnam, five people familiar with the incident told the Financial Times.

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My Comment: India has made it clear recently that they are now focusing their naval assets to the east of Asia .... I guess the Chinese are giving their own message to India that they do not like this policy shift.

Now that Muammar Qaddafi has fallen from power, the sub-Saharan African mercenaries who fought for him are returning home – with weapons and military expertise.

In March, as reports swirled that Sahelian mercenaries were fighting in Libya for Col. Muammar Qaddafi, Joshua Keating asked, “What happens when the mercenaries return home?” As Keating noted yesterday, we now have a partial answer. AFP reports:

“Hundreds of Malian and Nigeri[e]n Tuaregs are coming home from the Libyan front. Among them are former Malian and Nigerien rebels, but also Tuaregs of Malian origin who were in the Libyan army,” said a security source at Gao in the north of Mali.

My prediction is that many of these mercenaries will not ferment strife or conflict .... they have probably seen enough of it in the past few months. But what will happen in the future (i.e. 6 months or a year from now) .... now that is another story.

The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan travels through the Pacific Ocean with other ships assigned to the Rim of the Pacific 2010 exercise, north of Hawaii, July 24, 2010. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Dylan McCord

It huffed its "strong opposition," reminded Tokyo yet again of Japanese aggression in World War II and accused Tokyo of furthering the "China threat theory," as if no such thing existed - even though China never misses an opportunity to rattle its neighbors' nerves.

"We would like to tell our people that we are well and good. The leader [Muammar Gaddafi] is fine. We have more than 20,000 armed youths and we are ready to fight. I tell our men to strike back against the rats," Saif is quoted as saying on the pro-Gaddafi al-Rai television station.

On Aug. 12, 2003, a Gulfstream IV aircraft carrying six passengers took off from Dulles International Airport and flew to Bangkok with fueling stops in Cold Bay, Alaska, and Osaka, Japan.

Before it returned four days later, the plane also touched down in Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates and Ireland. As these unusual flights happened, U.S. officials took custody of an Indonesian terrorist, Riduan Isamuddin, who had been captured in Thailand and would spend the next three years being shuttled among secret prisons operated by the CIA.

WNU Editor: From IOwnTheWorld: A One Day Food Stamp Glitch Causes Tempers To Flare .... This is the kind of pressure cooker an entitlement society is becoming. Look out when the money really runs out, and it’s not just a brief clerical glitch.

Indeed .... this is what happens when our credit line is used up and there is not enough money to pay for our entitlement society. Not a comforting thought .... not a comforting thought at all .... because if this happens on a national level, my prediction will be widespread riots and the burning of our inner cities.

The RAF has been flying daily sorties over Libya since March and continues to mount attacks on military forces loyal to Col Gaddafi Photo: REUTERS

RAF Crews Face Sack As Libya Campaign Rages -- The Telegraph

Almost 1,000 RAF personnel will be sacked on Thursday, even as the Air Force continues to fly missions over Libya.

Ministers have heaped praise on the RAF for the Libyan campaign but are pressing ahead with this week’s redundancy programme. Nearly 1,000 soldiers will also be told tomorrow that they are being sacked.

Last night the Ministry of Defence was unable to rule out redundancies among RAF ground crew and technicians supporting the daily flights over Libya, although pilots were safe from redundancy.

Army Gen. David H. Petraeus delivers remarks at his retirement ceremony and official farewell on Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Va., Aug. 31, 2011. Petraeus is retiring after a 37-year military career to become director of the CIA. DOD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley

The Impact Of Gen. David Petraeus, In Four Takes -- Washington Post

Gen. David H. Petraeus, the most recognized military officer of his generation, retires from the Army today after roughly four decades in uniform and a career like no other.

With that in mind, we invited four defense experts to reflect on his record. Some of them have known the general up close, others from afar. To each the question was the same: What is his legacy and how has he shaped the U.S. armed forces?

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My Comment: His tenure in the Army may be at an end .... but his involvement as head of the CIA is now unfolding .... and what he may do there has the possibility of producing a legacy just as profound and deep as his tenure in the Army.

WNU Editor: WNU will have more on General Petraeus and his retirement ceremony later tonight.

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- The Arab Spring has been "an intelligence disaster" for Western security services because of the fall of Middle Eastern leaders working with the United States and Europe, says a former Central Intelligence Agency chief.

"The help we were getting from the Egyptian intelligence service, less so from the Tunisians but certainly from the Libyans and Lebanese, has dried up -- either because of resentment at our governments stabbing their political leaders in the back, or because those who worked for the services have taken off in fear of being incarcerated or worse," said Michal Scheuer, who headed the CIA unit tasked with hunting down Osama bin Laden.

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My Comment: When the head of Libyan Intelligence is now a wanted war criminal .... an office that did cooperate on some level with Western intelligence agencies in the past .... yeah .... after all that has happened I would guess your intelligence assets would dry up.

Al Jazeera news producer Jamal Elshayyal recently gained access to the Tripoli headquarter of Libya's intelligence agency. Among the documents scattered throughout the demolished building were secret files indicating that influential Americans advised Muammar Gaddafi since the beginning of the Libyan uprising. Here is his account of the discovery:

The destruction by NATO airstrikes of Libya's intelligence headquarters at the heart of Tripoli has transformed the once-feared building into a symbol of how Gaddafi's regime has been all but toppled.

Guarding the compound are dozens of armed rebel fighters, some of them told me their friends and families went missing as a direct result of "intelligence" gathered by those who worked in the building.

My Comment: I very much doubt that Congressman Kucinich would support Gaddafi .... he has been very consistent in not supporting American wars .... but as to the other Americans .... I find these reports deeply disturbing that demands more investigations.

Five days after the outbreak of war, Drake and his colleagues of No 1 Squadron flew their Hurricanes to a French airfield to provide support for the British Expeditionary Force. Throughout the bitter winter of the “Phoney War” there was little action, but on April 19 1940 Drake met the enemy for the first time. His formation attacked a flight of Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters and, in the ensuing melee, Drake claimed one, the first of many successes.
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My Comment: The Washington Post has an excellent obituary on Billy Drake .... read it here.

Richard Drew put down his camera bag and looked up at the colossal skyscraper that seemed to be racing toward the clouds at an accelerated clip.

"I'm really surprised how fast this building's gone up," he said of the rising edifice at 1 World Trade Center, peering at the monolith from beneath the brim of a tan baseball cap. "I just hope it isn't another target."

It was around 2 p.m. on a bright Wednesday afternoon in mid-July, and Drew, a veteran Associated Press photographer with wire-rimmed glasses and a neatly cropped silver beard that betrays his 64 years, was standing near the northwest intersection of Vesey and West streets in Lower Manhattan, across from the noisy jungle gym of cranes and steel where a global business hub is currently being reconstructed. Nine years and eight months earlier in this very spot -- now an austere pedestrian plaza in the shadow of the Goldman Sachs building -- Drew took a picture that became one of the most iconic images of one of the most catastrophic events in American history.

POLICE STOP - U.S. Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, commander of U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan, talks with Afghan authorities during his visit with military and civilian personnel assigned to Regional Command Southwest in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Aug. 25, 2011. Allen received operational and intelligence briefings during his visits to Forward Operating Base Shawqat and Operating Post Strega. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Michael O'Connor

August Was 'Deadliest Month' For US In Afghan War -- BBC

August 2011 has become the deadliest month for US troops in the nearly 10-year war in Afghanistan, according to an unofficial tally.

The Associated Press counted 66 US deaths in the month, including 30 killed when their helicopter was shot down by Taliban insurgents.

But across the year, casualties are down slightly from 2010.

President Barack Obama plans to withdraw 33,000 troops from Afghanistan by next summer.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization officials said their efforts in Libya were now focused on preventing a bloody battle for control of Col. Moammar Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte, as rebels gave loyalists until Saturday to surrender.

With rebel officials taking steps to establish their authority in Tripoli, the town of Sirte, 245 miles (395 kilometers) east of the capital, was shaping up as one of the final stands by Gadhafi loyalists. "It is the last bastion," said NATO Col. Roland Lavoie.

President Obama greeting veterans Tuesday after his speech to the American Legion annual conference in Minneapolis. Doug Mills/The New York Times

Obama Draws Line On Possible Cuts To Veterans Programs -- New York Times

MINNEAPOLIS — President Obama vowed on Tuesday that he would not allow cuts in programs for veterans as Congress and the administration look for ways to balance the budget.

In a somber speech to the annual convention of the American Legion that dwelled on the need to tackle unemployment among veterans, but offered little in the way of specifics about his overall economic proposals that are due next week, the president repeated his assertion of earlier this summer that after a decade of war, it was time to turn the country’s attention to domestic prosperity.

Russia is very concerned about China, but this is driven more by fears about China’s capabilities than any real threats.

Russia perceives China as being highly unpredictable and worries about Beijing’s technological dominance, growing military strength and demographic and economic expansion into Siberia, which is sparsely populated but resource-rich.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin’s saber-rattling in the Far East, while purportedly aimed at protecting the Kuril Islands from a weak Japan, is Moscow’s subtle signal to Beijing.

My Comment: I completely concur. Westerners have little understanding of Russian concerns of the "yellow peril" .... a cultural condition that has been driven into the Russian psyche for generations. Is it justified .... yes .... because China is becoming the dominant power in the world, and Siberia is one vast area of land and resources that will beckon (if not already) Chinese interests and .... eventually .... strategic decision making objectives.

How The Special Forces Helped Bring Gaddafi To His Knees -- The Telegraph

British combat jets pounded Libyan forces in a series of strikes over the weekend targeting command and control bunkers and missile sites.

The attacks took place on the southern outskirts of Tripoli, a few miles north east of the international airport, where a brigade headquarters and a helicopter facility was based.

The targets were destroyed with Paveway IV satellite guided bombs prior to a secondary attack on a BM21 Grad rocket launcher west of the port of Ras Lanuf, which had been earlier spotted by a Nato reconnaissance patrol.
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My Comment: An interesting article .... especially since there is NO MENTION of US involvement even though pundits back in the U.S. are claiming that Gaddafi's fall is a great American victory.

Admiral Defends Use Of Elite Unit In Calamitous Raid -- New York Times

TAMPA, Fla. — The new commander of American Special Operations forces has defended the use of commandos in a Navy Seals unit to back up a raid in Afghanistan earlier this month that ended in tragedy when a Chinook helicopter was shot down, rejecting criticism that planning for the operation was different from other missions that had been carried out successfully, as many as a dozen on a typical night.

The commander, Adm. William H. McRaven, said “there was nothing unusual about this mission” to warrant the sustained criticism heard from some retired commandos and military analysts, who have questioned how the operation was planned and carried out and whether it was an appropriate use of the vaunted Navy Seals.

My Comment: The final results from the investigation in this disastrous operation have yet to be published. Therefore .... Adm. William H. McRaven's comments are probably premature .... unless he already knows what the conclusions will be in this report.

A handout picture release by the official Iranian press agency IRNA shows the Iranian warship "Kharg" docked at the Syrian port of Latakia, February 2011. Iran has dispatched a submarine and a warship to the Red Sea on a patrol mission, navy commander Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said in a report by state media on Tuesday. France 24

Report: Israel Sends 2 Warships To Egyptian Border -- YNet News

Military sources tell AP Israeli Navy sent additional warships to maritime border with Egypt following intelligence indicating viable terror threat. Meanwhile, Iran set to send 15th fleet to area as well as 'to thwart pirate activity'.

The Israeli Navy (INF) has decided to boost its presence and patrols near Israel's maritime border with Egypt due to a viable terror threat in the area.

Israeli security sources told the Associated Press on Tuesday that two additional warships have been dispatched to Israel's Red Sea border with Egypt. Another source stressed that the operation was routine, telling Reuters that "two naval craft have been sent to the Red Sea. This is not unusual."

If President Ma Ying-jeou doesn't clean house in his military, the U.S. won't sell advanced weapons.

Much ink has been spilled in recent months over the Obama administration's reluctance to sell Taiwan the 66 F-16C/D fighters it has been requesting since 2007. A final decision is expected by Oct. 2, and while many observers predict that political considerations will lead Washington to nix the deal, another factor may be at work: the penetration of almost every sector of Taiwanese society by Chinese intelligence. For the U.S. government and defense manufacturers, any arms sale to Taiwan carries the risk that sensitive military technology will end up in Beijing.

This worry is not new. Anyone who has followed developments in Taiwan over the years knows how deeply Chinese forces have infiltrated Taiwan's military, especially its senior officers. For years American officials have looked on in amazement as newly retired Taiwanese generals traveled to China for a round of golf, were wined and dined by their counterparts in the People's Liberation Army, and no doubt had their inebriated brains picked for information.

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My Comment: There is some validity in J. Michael Cole's concerns on Taiwan's ability to keep military secrets from falling into the hands of China. Even the Taiwan government is aware of this problem. When even your top generals are being arrested for espionage .... you know that you have a credibility problem to foreign military supplies like the U.S.

China is developing a missile defense system in the highest layer of the atmosphere and outer space using high-end technologies like laser beams and kinetic energy intercept.

In 2007, China successfully tested a direct-ascent anti-satellite (ASAT) weapon against a weather satellite, demonstrating its ability to attack satellites in low-Earth orbit. It has also been developing other kinetic and directed-energy technologies for ASAT missions like lasers, high-powered microwave, and particle beam weapons, according to a report released by the U.S. Defense Department last week.
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A soldier unloads his Stryker armored fighting vehicle after a long day of conducting fire missions in the Mojave Desert at the National Training Center on Fort Irwin, Calif., Aug. 12, 2011. The soldier is assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division's 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ryan Hallock

Angry supporters of ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema battled police outside the ANC headquarters in the strongest indication that the ANC's youth wing is rapidly falling out of control.

As South Africa's governing African National Congress convened a hearing on allegations of indiscipline against ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema, police outside were battling with rowdy and violent protesters demanding Malema be "left alone."

The firebrand Mr. Malema is facing charges of bringing the party into disrepute through a statement advocating for regime change in Botswana, among other allegations. In a previous disciplinary hearing in May 2010, the ANC ordered Malema to take anger-management classes for remarks deemed by the ANC to be offensive.

TRIPOLI, Libya — Fighters from the western mountain city of Zintan control the airport. The fighters from Misurata guard the central bank, the port and the prime minister’s office, where their graffiti has relabeled the historic plaza “Misurata Square.” Berbers from the mountain town Yafran took charge of the city’s central square, where they spray-painted “Yafran Revolutionaries.”

A week after rebels broke into Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s former stronghold, much of its territory remains divided into fiefs, each controlled by quasi-independent brigades representing different geographic areas of the country. And the spray paint they use to mark their territory tells the story of a looming leadership crisis in the capital, Tripoli.
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SEOUL — After nearly half of the servers for a South Korean bank crashed one day in April, investigators here found evidence indicating that they were dealing with a new kind of attack from an old rival: North Korea.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

With the continued willingness and ability of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria to brutally crush his country's opposition, the question about what options we might have to stop the slaughter grows increasingly haunting. I am not currently advocating military intervention, but it is worth surveying the tools at our disposal to contemplate what might come next - if not immediately, then perhaps down the road.
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TRIPOLI/BENGHAZI — Libya's interim leader gave forces loyal to deposed ruler Moammar Gadhafi a four-day deadline on Tuesday to surrender towns they still control or face a bloody end to a war that the new leadership said has so far killed 50,000 people.

Anti-Gadhafi forces have converged on Sirte from east and west, but have stopped short of an all-out assault in hopes of arranging a negotiated surrender of Gadhafi's birth-place.

About Me

I have been involved in numerous computer science projects since the 1980s, as well as developing numerous web projects since 1996.
These blogs are a summation of all the information that I read and catalog pertaining to the subjects that interest me.